"People know who Serena Williams is, no matter you are a sports fan or not" - Jill Craybas makes the American's case for being included in GOAT debate

Former WTA pro Jill Craybas recently bolstered Serena Williams' case of being the greatest of all time (GOAT) across both men's and women's tennis.

Williams was a force to be reckoned with on the court in her playing days. She had a fantastic career, winning 39 Grand Slam titles (23 in singles, 14 in doubles and two in mixed doubles). She also won four Olympic gold medals and sat atop the WTA rankings for 319 weeks.

However, the American decided to end her more than two-decade-long career in 2022 after losing in the third round of the US Open to Ajla Tomljanovic. Williams also played doubles with her sister Venus at Flushing Meadows, but the duo were eliminated in the first round.

Craybas recently appeared on the latest episode of the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast and weighed in on the tennis GOAT debate. She claimed that if singles and doubles are combined, Serena Williams and Margaret Court are the greatest tennis players of all time, surpassing Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

"She [Serena Williams] is definitely at the top of the list and I think Chris [Bowers] makes a good point of maybe incorporating the doubles into the category a little bit more," Craybas said (at 7:45).

"With the men in particular, if you talk about the top 3: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, they didn't play doubles that often. So, I think if they did, there would've been a lot more numbers in their category as well. But, if we are talking about numbers, yes, I mean, Serena definitely is one of the best, the highest in that category along with Margaret Court obviously, having 24-Grand Slam titles," she continued.

The former World No. 39 also stated that the 42-year-old is a complete personality who has made a name for herself not only in tennis but also in other areas outside of the sport.

"But you not only talk about the numbers, but the substance, the celebrity. I mean, I think Serena is one of those that transcended all of that, right? Went beyond sport," Craybas said (at 8:25).

"Even if you didn't watch tennis, people knew who she was. People know who she is, no matter you are a sports fan or not and that's a big deal. So, for me, that's what makes her one of the best in the world," she continued.

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Serena Williams gave birth to her second daughter in 2023

Serena Williams pictured with her family

Serena Williams married her husband Alexis Ohanian in November 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In September of the same year, the power couple gave birth to their first child, Olympia.

The tennis legend and Reddit co-founder then joyfully extended their family on August 22, 2023, when they welcomed their second daughter, Adira River, into this world.

Ohanian took to Instagram to share the news of the birth of their second child, writing:

"Welcome, Adira River Ohanian. I'm grateful to report our house is teaming with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama. Feeling grateful."

"@serenawilliams you've now given me another incomparable gift — you're the GMOAT. Thanks to all the amazing medical staff who took care of my wife & our daughter 🙏 I'll never forget the moment I introduced @olympiaohanian to her baby sister," he added.